100w light bulbs

[Moscow Mule]

Yes, and people have looked at that, but to buy it we would need to produce stuff that the rest of the world wants. I think we should try to be more self-sufficient on energy. We are a bit stuffed on that front, though fairly well endowed with wind.

Maybe we should convert all of those unused coal mines to ground source heat pumps.

[Mich the Tester]

We should import sunlight from the Sahara.

It might be easier to import electricity generated from sunlight in the Sahara but we didn't put the Great in Great Britain by doing things the easy way...

Brilliant idea for a massively over-ambitious, but exciting bit of fiscal profigacy. Huge mirrors in the sahara refelcting sunlight to an array of satellites orbiting above Britain which can be adjusted to refocus the light on a generator or jsut provide a bit more sunshine on cold autumn days. Cost; about as much as rescuing a bank. Benefit; loads of work for IT people and engineers and it'll show the world what British technology can achieve!

It probably isn't as difficult as it sounds; if Brylcreeemed British chaps could make Concorde, Radar, the bouncing bomb and Colossus using big pieces of paper, rulers, slide rules, tweed jackets and pipes hanging from the corners of their mouths, gathering around a nice pot of tea in a big shed, then we can do this!

[expat]

Yes, and people have looked at that, but to buy it we would need to produce stuff that the rest of the world wants. I think we should try to be more self-sufficient on energy. We are a bit stuffed on that front, though fairly well endowed with wind.

Why else would the Scottish Government push successfuly for devolved powers over planning out to 200 miles?

[Mich the Tester]

Why else would the Scottish Government push successfuly for devolved powers over planning out to 200 miles?

So that they can at long last afford to buy a round of drinks?

[TimberWolf]

Maybe we should convert all of those unused coal mines to ground source heat pumps.

Certainly seems worth looking at, though hydrothermal in the UK isn't really a goer.

[TimberWolf]

Why else would the Scottish Government push successfuly for devolved powers over planning out to 200 miles?

I think Scotland could do well separated from the UK, on the energy front.

[Stan.goodvibes]

Because 500+ MPs switching off totally won't save the environment - hundreds of millions of people need to change their habits for that to happen.

6 billion. Oh wait, its nearly 7 billion now.

Lets be really clear about this... the environment is FUBAR. A few energy-saving lightbulbs and some recycling isn't going to slow the planet-wrecking juggernaut that is the human species from killing off nearly every living thing on the earth in the process of making it uninhabitable.

There.Are.Too.Many.People.

Eventually something will happen - possibly natural, probably man-made, that will redress the imbalance and the human race will go the way of the other 99.9% of all species that have ever existed on this planet.

And in a few million years there may well be another self-aware species on the planet again. Its been here for over 4 billion years, and we've been here for like 200,000, if that. If the history of the Earth was condensed down to our lifespan then we are just a bad outbreak of lice the planet suffered for a few hours. No matter what we do to it, the planet will recover in time.

So go ahead do your 'bit' for the environment, it'll make you feel better. And hey, we'll probably be dead before it all goes to custard - thats a nice little timebomb we're leaving to the kids.

[d000hg]

There.Are.Too.Many.People.

Exactly how many people have your detailed calculations revealed the planet can support then?


I'm a bit worried, this is the first thread I ever read where AtW doesn't sound like an escaped lunatic.

I'm all for low-energy lights, as long as they are not the ones which take 5min to 'warm up'. I think this is where the difference is between cheap & expensive ones?
LEDs could be pretty cool if the technology properly matures, I imagine they last practically forever even compared with standard low-energy bulbs.

And by the way, LED car headlights use less power and also should not need replacing hardly at all, which I like because they never seem as easy to replace as they should be in any car I've tried. I think they also cast less glare to the side than normal lights although that could be more about the assembly they are fitted into.

[PAH]

Maybe we should convert all of those unused coal mines to ground source heat pumps.

Good idea, set fire to them!

[gingerjedi]

And by the way, LED car headlights use less power and also should not need replacing hardly at all, which I like because they never seem as easy to replace as they should be in any car I've tried. I think they also cast less glare to the side than normal lights although that could be more about the assembly they are fitted into.

Power isn't an issue with an alternator and LED's aren't powerful enough for the main beam, they'd look more at home on a modified saxo if you ask me.

I wonder if you can get different colours and make them flash in pretty patterns like my Christmas tree lights?